A Pilot's Watch
by JuniorBanks
Summary: With Overwatch disbanded, terrorism and violence around the world has grown to fervent levels. One man with a few bright ideas can change the world. From the fires of all the conflict, new heroes will rise up to watch over humanity once again.
1. Intro

**A/N:**

 **I've been playing Overwatch and Titanfall 2 in my free time and fell in love with both worlds. I don't see too many stories showing the grit of what Overwatch actually does (keep the peace and maintain order) so i decided to make one myself. Still updating my other story, just really wanted to get this one down. Hoping to make something big that delves deep into the world of Overwatch with my own take on how things work.**

 **This is just something to ease into the idea so expect longer chapters in the future.**

 **Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

Jack Cooper was normal by almost all accounts.

He was comfortably middle class, had an ordinary family, and went to a regular public school when he was younger. He just happened to be a bit smarter than most people. He graduated his high school and community college with flawless grades and Illinois. The public education system was filled with people only there for a government paycheck and just downright lazy; it hardly took any effort at all. From there he earned a scholarship to a private university in Texas where he earned a mastery in computer engineering.

Until recently he had worked for a research institution developing cost efficient methods of personal transportation through the use of micro-fusion energy that had been largely militarized during the recent war with the omnics. Companies like the one Cooper had worked were a breed that had come close to dying. The omnic crisis made most people wary of how quickly technological advancements were being produced.

Not Cooper though. He had developed a prototype for his company that he thought would revolutionize the world once again: the jump kit. Like all micro-fusion machines, it produced its own energy and fuel. The machine attached to the lower back and sent burst of power from two small thrusters. It was simple in theory and worked much like a jet's afterburners. The device would boost the momentum of the user. Of course this was a very simple definition but that was the gist of it. With this, people could move faster, jump further, even maintain altitudes above ground level for short amounts of time. The applications were seemingly endless.

Unfortunately, the company Cooper worked for did not agree. The jump kit also posed a great danger. It required a great amount of training to use and could result in serious injuries even with full protective gear. It was simply not consumer friendly. After that Cooper left to develop his invention independently. He had faith that his invention was destined for something amazing.

"Shit!" Cooper spat as a shower of sparks spouted from the wires he was fiddling with inside his jump kit.

It had been a month since he had left the company and he still had no idea what to do. He was an expert in engineering, not marketing, and had no idea how actually pitch this idea to another company or get funding.

The solder he had placed on the wires was quickly melting onto the metal to form a solid current. The patchwork for the circuitry in his device was less than glamourous now that he had lost his fully stocked lab but it was functional. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the news blare on the television in his garage where he had installed a workbench. More breaking news it seemed.

The logo of the news agency faded away to reveal an anchor with black hair, blue eyes, and far too much makeup sitting behind a desk with a skyline behind her; Jack couldn't tell of what city.

"More breaking news as the string of recent terrorist attacks continues." In the upper right corner of the screen an aerial view of a government building with blast marks and bullet holes pockmarking its walls. "The mysterious terrorist cell known as Talon has once again claimed credit for an attack on key government buildings. This is just one of many in their recent string of attacks. This particular one was on an embassy here in the heart of New York. These acts of terrorism are carried out in a highly organized and destructive fashion with few survivors within the embassy itself. While the motives of this terrorist orga-"

Cooper switched the channel to comedy central where some comedian he had never heard of was doing standup.

Ever since Overwatch had disbanded these attacks had become more common and far more brazen. The terrorist organization Talon has been big news all around the globe lately. They carry out an attack in a huge metropolitan area and get away scot-free. The organization and firepower they possess were truly troubling and have proven extremely difficult for governments to deal with.

He turned back to his jump kit and finished sealing up the casing for it. The world needs heroes again, now more than ever. He flicked on the device and the micro-fusion reactor caused a blue glow to emit from the thrusters and lights. A smile crept onto the corners of his lips.

Maybe it was about time he answered the call.


	2. Birth of a Hero

Cooper had used the jump kit a great deal and considered himself fairly skilled. However, it was still dangerous as hell. That's why he had developed some armor to go with it. It consisted of a simple chest piece that slid over the harness of the jump kit and protected his upper body and shoulders as well as reinforced padding for his legs.

His true pride was the helmet. He had designed it from the ground up when he was in the lab and put the latest technology in it. It was powered by its own miniature micro-fusion core and had a slew of features. The superimposed heads-up display (HUD) downloaded maps of the immediate area from the web and received input from multiple satellites to give him a pinpoint accurate GPS. He also implemented the True Color Vision that military pilots used in their helmets.

As opposed to old age night vision, TCV's painted the world in far more colors than the traditional green and had far greater range. They were also capable of thermal imagery and advanced heat detection. It truly blew classic night vision out of the water and made it an antique. Cooper's helmet also functioned to clean the air that entered it through a filtration system. A bit far from what might have been considered civilian eighty years ago but military advancements had shot forward surrounding the omnic crisis and these things were now easy to implement. The visor on the front of the helmet lit up a bright blue when he flicked the switch on and gave a soft beep to signify that everything was in order. He slid the helmet on and watched as it took into account the wind speed and trajectory in the room. With these things he could make a difference, he was sure of it.

* * *

Cooper woke up in his small apartment the next day with a nasty taste in his mouth. He slid out of bed to the single, compact bathroom in the hallway just outside his bedroom and rinsed his mouth out. One resentful look at the tube of toothpaste next to the sink and he decided to brush his teeth after eating. The overpowering taste of mint always brought him close to gagging. From his bedroom and bathroom, a short hallway led to a single room split in half by a counter. He walked into his kitchen and poured himself a glass of water from his sink while looking into his living room and front door.

He didn't have much to call his own past the couch and television he had set up there. He spent most of his time in the garage just under his apartment where his workbench resided. Rent was cheap and he had saved up enough from his last job to sustain himself for a while. It wasn't expensive to live alone. Cooper had never been too social and didn't talk to his family much other than the occasional phone call. In terms of friends, he had none. His life was working and tinkering with sleep somewhere in between. The solitude never really got to him, he hardly ever noticed it. This wasn't anything new to him.

After downing a cup of water to completely wash the taste out of his mouth, he grabbed a granola bar and slid on his shoes before heading out the front door. The metal stairway clanged with each step as he went down to the garage below, shivering in the morning air. A mist covered everything as the sun just started to poke up and paint the world in a soft orange.

This was his favorite time of day. The cool blue of the morning and warm orange of the sun met and made for a serene view. Nothing was moving save for the occasional car on the road beyond the lot. He took in a deep breath before opening up a door on the left side of the garage and stepping inside to warm air once again. The jump kit sat on the work bench as he had left it and his armor was stored neatly in a crate next to it. Leaning on that crate were two black gun cases. He had not been shooting much when he was younger but took a keen interest in it after college. By no means was he a professional but he had grown pretty accurate the past couple of years. He briefly debated whether or not to head out to the range before opting to work on his jump wiring he had worked on yesterday should allow him to increase the output of the thrusters but he had yet to run any tests. Now was as good a time as any.

He threw on a thick jacket and fished out plastic elbow and knee pads from another box in his garage. Putting on his armor took more time than he felt like spending so early in the morning and he didn't want his neighbors thinking he was insane. He clipped on an old, pale blue bicycle helmet he had bought from a flee market and began strapping on the jump kit. It wasn't too different from a fighter pilot's harness. He tightened two straps on his thighs and slid his arms through two loops that fastened firmly at his shoulders. All this led to the jump kit and a belt that he pulled taut on his waist.

Satisfied, he walked out the door and went around behind his apartment to an ally that was empty save for a couple dumpsters. The walls on either sides were bare and about fifteen feet apart. The thrust of the jump kit could only keep a person suspended in the air for a short amount of time before it gave out; however, Cooper found that if he delegated all the energy into one booster he could draw out the thrust. With a wall to stop him from flying off to one side he could stay up for a good amount of time. Recently, he had been experimenting with moving while the thruster pushed him against the wall. Still in its rudimentary stages but it showed great promise. He would need to get a running start and boost himself up toward the wall. Without forward momentum he would just be clinging to the wall. Once he reached the wall he would activate a second boost with only one thruster and pin himself to the wall as he slid against it. Easy.

"Here we go" Cooper sighed out.

He broke off into a sprint. After about six steps he jumped toward the wall and activated his jump kit. It didn't go exactly as planned. The tweaks he made worked better than he had expected and flung him into the wall faster than he had expected. There was a hard crack as his helmet hit the wall and he bounced off toward the ground. He slid along the ground for until slamming his back on one of the dumpsters. Had it not been for the pads, he would have torn the skin off his arms. A dull throbbing banged through his head as he reached up and felt the new break in the plastic. "More testing required" he groaned before letting his head fall back onto the pavement.

Another week of the same routine and he finally had results. He could get all the way from one side of his apartment block to the other in a matter of seconds! It was almost easy once he figured out the proper amount of thrust to give it. Reinvigorated by this progress Cooper loaded his jump kit and armor into the trunk of the old Mazda 2059 he had gotten fairly cheap from a used car lot. He had to squeeze everything in with the rifle case he had forgotten to take out from when he went shooting a few days earlier. After some clever arrangement and sitting on the trunk until he heard it clunk into place, Cooper got in and started up the car. With a brief whir, it rose off the ground as the micro-fusion powered hover systems lifted it into the air. Unlike Cooper's jump kit, the hover systems on cars were not strong enough to propel it higher than a couple feet but could maintain this height for far longer periods of time. Cars with wheels had been largely phased out decades ago but he kept his vintage sports bike for when he really felt like riding. Something about two wheels on the pavement just made it feel right. The thing was almost thirty years old but still ran like a dream.

He hit a button to open the garage door and pulled out into the lot of his apartment complex. It was still early so the front of the complex was barren except for a few people that had parked their cars outside. After heading out on to the open road, he started off toward the construction site he had chosen a few days prior. The exterior was almost finished with most of the walls set it place, it just lacked anything on the inside. The perfect place for some lunatic to run against a few walls.

Five minutes into his drive, he was sitting in normal Texas traffic in Dallas as everyone was in a scramble to get to work. Music played softly on the radio as he let the cold morning air in from the windows. The sun was almost blinding as fresh rays reflected off the glass buildings all around him. Cooper was just reaching to change the station when the sound of an explosion ripped through the calm. A plume of smoke rushed into the sky from just a block down and the distant sound of screams could be heard. Traffic came to a standstill as people exited their cars to see what was happening. Cooper opened his door and jogged to the intersection a hundred feet ahead and was met with the sight of broken glass littering the street. The windows on the third floor of a building labeled "City Bank" were blown out with smoke billowing from the center of the building. As he was standing there, the sound of gunshots rang out and everything devolved into chaos. People ran and the distant sound of sirens could be heard. The crowd that had gathered screamed and pushed and shoved each other to get distance between them and the building. The police were there within minutes and wasted no time setting a perimeter around the building.

Only a few minutes later, close to the edge of the perimeter, an officer with platinum blonde hair stepped out of an armored van while strapping on a bulletproof vest.

"Tell me what we got" he told another officer waiting at the back of the van.

"Small group, I'd say between six to ten" the man replied with a heavy southern accent.

"Demands?" he asked.

"Nothin' as of yet sir, they're just here to get the money and go it seems. They got the elevators blown out and stairways covered up tight. Packin' some serious heat up there" The other officer replied.

The blonde man sucked on his teeth and made a face.

He turned to face the other officer as he finished strapping on his vest, "Do we know who they are?"

"They don't seem to be a part of any group if that's what you're askin'. Seem to me they're just common criminals lookin' for a score."

"Well work on getting me some actual names. I want to know exactly who's up there" he demanded.

The bank was situated at the corner of an intersection with a parking garage running adjacent to it. The side of the garage facing the bank was sheer concrete, preventing the police from using it as a vantage point on the floor the bombers were on.

But perfect for wall running with a jump kit.

He had never jumped from one wall to another but it was perfectly possible, wasn't it? All he needed was a short burst after jumping off the garage wall and the force of it could take him through a window. He could do this.

Cooper sprinted back to his car and piled his gear on top of the gun case and awkwardly carrying it all to an ally on the opposite side of the parking garage, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. He'd have to be quick after getting past the police barricade. It was unlikely they would let him waltz in to a bank robbery with a rifle and armor. He would only have one shot.

He pulled on his jump kit and strapped his armor over it as quickly as he could. He had never planned to use it for combat but it certainly could take a beating. Once he finished he slid the helmet on and heard the soft beep as the HUD came alive and gave him a small map in the bottom corner of his vision. He encountered his first problem when he picked up his rifle: there was nowhere to store extra ammunition. The armor had no magazine holsters and the pockets of his pants weren't deep enough to hold them securely. In the end, he resorted to shoving two magazines in his waistband and hoping they would not fall out. It would have to do. He steeled himself and prepared to sprint out from the parking garage and past the police barricades.

Then he stopped. What the hell was he doing?

He was about to rush into an armed robbery. The people in there had actual guns and would kill him. This wasn't some game. He could die. What would he do when he got in there? He would have to kill other people. What the hell was he doing?

Cooper took in a deep breath and closed his eyes behind his helmet.

The world needs heroes. Those that can do what normal people can't. The jump kit gives that sort of power. No one else can get inside that building the way he could. He can save lives.

He opened his eyes and began to sprint for the exit of the garage before he could doubt himself again. He pushed past the crowd and leapt over the barricade the police had set up, not slowing down. He heard an officer screaming behind him but couldn't understand what he was saying. His heard was beating faster than ever before and the pounding of adrenaline in his head made all sound seem far away.

Cooper ran toward the wall of the parking garage and jumped. With a twitch of his finger he shot forward as he let out his first boost. For a moment he was just flying. Another instant of doubt, this time he wondered if he would reach the wall or if he had terribly miscalculated his trajectory.

When his right hand made contact with the wall he let out his second boost, focused completely on his left thruster to keep him suspended as he slid along the smooth surface at breakneck speeds.

He let go of the boost and kicked off to the wall. A third instant of doubt as he was suspended two stories above the ground. What if the jump pack failed and he didn't make it? What if he just slammed into the window and fell to his death?

He let out a final boost and was sent rocketing toward a third story window. His own reflection rushed up to meet him, the blue light of the visor stared at him. He brought up his forearm and ducked his head down as he made contact and smashed through the glass into the building.

He made it. He was alive. He was actually alive!

The brief moment of celebration was cut short when he heard the shouting coming from further inside the building. Cooper had broken into a small office that had a wood door leading out to the rest of the floor in the far left corner. The sound of footsteps running towards him caused him to scramble and fumble his rifle. It fell to the ground and he cursed as he dove down to retrieve it. He grabbed hold of the grip and shot up just as he heard the sound of the door knob turning. The door slammed open, Cooper lifted his head and raised his rifle. Without a second thought, he pulled the trigger. In the next instant a man in a black ski mask fell over clutching his chest and releasing a horrible sound that was a mix between gargling and wheezing.

Cooper stood frozen in place as the man drowned in his own blood. From what he could tell, the bullet had went through his chest and tore a hole through his lungs. It took him a moment to realize he was shaking. His entire body was trembling and his heart felt like it was beating faster than possible, like any moment it would explode from the pressure.

He had just killed a man. He hadn't known the weight of that statement until now. The life of the person in front of him was being snuffed out and it was his fault. He had just destroyed the future that this person may have had.

More voices and footsteps. He needed to act or he would die next.

With every ounce of willpower he had, Cooper ran to the side of the door and peeked out over the edge. The moment he did, he saw three men rushing to the doorway. The two men closest to him immediately raised their guns and fired at him. Cooper dove to the ground behind him as bullets tore through the wall he had been pressed against. Plaster rained down as the drywall and paint were ripped off by the force of the rounds. He was going to die here. Fear took over and he hugged his gun close to his chest and closed his eyes tight. Suddenly screams and more gunfire erupted from the other side of the building and the hail of bullets coming his way quickly stopped. Cooper opened his eyes and looked around the corner once again to see the men facing away from him now and shooting at someone he couldn't see. There was another fight occurring.

Over the chorus of gunfire and shouting, he heard someone screaming "POLICE, POLICE!"

The police had stormed the bank! With newfound hope, he lifted his own rifle and fired wildly into the group. Whether he hit someone or not, he couldn't tell. Regardless, it was over in just a minute. Close quarter gun fights aren't long drawn out battles, they are quick and bloody. The police raided the floor with extreme precision and cleared all threats immediately. The criminals were either dead, dying, or had their hands up. It was over just like that.

The smell of cordite hung in the air as smoke from all the rounds fired put a hazy sheen in the room. Cooper turned and ran without a second to lose. He was scared and wanted to go home. He jumped back out the window and hit his jump kit to halt the downward momentum as he approached the ground. He dashed toward the opposite end of the alley from the police barricade he had broken through and to the rear of the parking garage. Ducking behind a white van, he stripped off his gear at record speeds and retrieved his rifle case. Cooper all but sprinted to his car as the police were preoccupied with securing the bank. After dumping his gear into the passenger seat he was home in just twenty minutes.

It was impossible for him to sleep that night. Adrenaline coursed through Cooper hours after he had gotten back. He sat in front of his television with his eyes glued to the news, not bothering to change out of his sweat-stained clothes.

Apparently, when Cooper burst through the window and shot one of the robbers he had been enough of a distraction to turn the criminals' attention away from the stairwell on the opposite end of the building that they had been keeping the police from entering from. Law enforcement took advantage of this and stormed the building while their guard was down.

He had actually helped stop a bank robbery. It was on national television, news helicopters had taken in the scene from above and definitely taken notice of him. A slightly blurred photo of him was at the corner of the screen constantly that night on almost every news station. Being in the limelight gave him a strange giddy feeling. The news saw him as a mystery and speculation was brewing about the unsanctioned return of organizations like Overwatch. That they would think there was even the possibility of a link between him and the famous heroes was flattering. Not everyone was anxious to see this happen though and many stations condemned his actions. They had ended the time for heroes, there were many that wanted to keep it that way. Cooper put all that aside. It was a time for celebration! He had not only come back alive but made a difference. That was cause for him to break out the rum he had buried in his cabinet. The epic quest in search for a clean glass to drink from then began.

* * *

The reformation of Overwatch was not as simple as pressing a button and sending a recall notice. Running an organization of this scale requires money and more manpower than usual. Without the government's funding they had to search for private benefactors and people to fight for their cause. That was what Winston was doing now so late at night. While he couldn't be the public face of Overwatch, the logistics of the operation were well within his capabilities.

Acquiring funding was easier than he had anticipated. There were still people out there that believed in Overwatch and a good number of them happened to have access to large sums of money. The real problem was manpower. When Winston had initiated the recall, there were many agents that did not answer. Many had moved on and started families with steady jobs. This caused them to be severely understaffed for the scale they were operating at.

They needed to recruit people that were loyal and willing to fight for their cause but that was difficult to find without the help of the governments of the world plastering propaganda on the walls. The heroes of Overwatch were powerful but only individuals, without a force of soldiers and staff supporting them they were severely outnumbered. This was the harder part of Winston's job. Scouring the world for people willing to put their lives on the line was easier said than done. While he was mainly looking for anyone strong enough to work as a soldier, occasionally an anomaly that surpassed his requirements appeared. Their special operators were once like this themselves, people with abilities and determination that surpassed normal men. Winston had a very short list of candidates that might meet these requirements but it grew by one quite recently.

He once again pulled up the news report of a bank robbery in Dallas, Texas and stared at the image of a man gliding across a concrete wall. Another diamond in the rough that had appeared. Winston was eager to vet this candidate, especially when he saw how he moved. The thought of dissecting the technology behind his abilities excited him. Of course, they could not just ask anyone that showed talent to join them. A careful examination needed to occur.

Winston pressed a button on the glass surfaced that served as a holographic keyboard and a picture of the German doctor Angela Ziegler appeared in the corner of his screen.

"Angela, would you mind coming down to see me? I have something I need you to do."

"Of course Winston" she replied with a light accent.

Normally they would send specially trained recruiters to monitor their candidates and determine if they were fit for Overwatch but Winston had a special feeling about this one.

Due to the lack of funding, Overwatch had only two functioning bases they worked out of. One set up close to the heart of the United States in Virginia and another just outside of London in England. Winston and a good portion of other core Overwatch members were currently in the Virginia base, ready to be called out on a mission at any time.

Within five minutes to door to Winston's personal office opened and Angela walked in. She gave Winston a warm smile and a wave in greeting.

"How are you today Winston?" she asked.

One look at the plastic containers of peanut butter littering his desk and a small frown grew on her face.

"I have told you time and time again, you need to diversify your diet," she chided, "A healthy mind cannot run off only peanut butter and bananas."

"I beg to differ" Winston said with a smile, "but I didn't call you here to discuss my diet."

He turned to his screen once more and pulled up The profile of Jack Cooper on his screen.

"I have a candidate I want you to monitor. I'm going to need you to fly out to Texas for a while."

"Why not send one of the recruiters? I hardly seem like the best person for this kind of job" she questioned.

"I have a special feeling about this one and want us overseeing this personally" he responded.

"Alright, but would it not be better to send someone like Tracer or Pharah? Field work is not something I excel at."

"Out of all of us I think you would stand out the least. The others don't blend in very well" he said as he pulled out another container of peanut butter.

"Flattering as always" Angela replied with a deadpan look on her face.

Winston popped the top off with an awkward laugh.

"I'll send you the details and book a flight for you" Winston said.

"Alright then" she said before snatching the jar out of his hand, " and I will be working on a meal plan for you until then."

Angela stuck her finger in for a taste before leaving the room with the container.

"My peanut butter…" he muttered longingly as he stared at the door the doctor had left through.


	3. Progress

The water was a thick red and it was impossible to see more than a few feet away. It was almost like he was swimming through sludge that kept trying to suck him back down. Something was wrong with this water and he wanted to get out. He tried swimming up but could not see the surface anywhere near, nothing but a deep red.

His throat started to tighten as he ran out of air. He pumped his arms and legs until they felt like they were burning but made no progress. He looked up in a desperate search for air and was met with brilliant blue eyes. They were looking in his direction but not at him, they were unfocused and hazy. He finally coughed out the air he had been holding in and the thick red water rushed into his lungs as he took a reflexive breath. He felt like his insides were on fire as he coughed out water and sucked in more at the same time. Those bright eyes began to dim as the light in them faded. They faded quickly, like the afterimage of a light bulb. Then there was nothing but darkness and he drowned.

Cooper gasped for air as his eyes shot open and he grabbed at his throat. His body was drenched in sweat and a neat circle had been soaked into the bed around him. He sat still for a minute trying to get his breath back, clutching his chest as he sucked in greedily. A nightmare. They had become frequent in the past couple of weeks.

He got up and walked over to his bathroom before taking a long shower. He felt exhausted. After the incident at the bank, he had been obsessively practicing with his jump kit and working on his equipment. More than once he thought about just moving his bed down to his garage. Wall running and boosting around felt like it was becoming second nature, it almost felt strange to not have that kind of mobility when he was just walking around his garage and apartment. Cooper dried himself off and pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. After making a cup of instant coffee, he opened the door and was greeted by a blast of cold air. He quickly jogged down the stairs and jumped to refuge in his garage. It was freezing out there. He grabbed a small tablet from his workbench and pressed one of the holographic buttons to turn on the television and lights.

On his workbench was the chest plate of his armor. His experience at the bank taught him that he needed to be better prepared. He had fixed pouches that would securely hold the magazines of ammo for his guns and a holster for his pistol on its frame this past week. The holster sat snugly under his left breast on his rib cage with the bandolier of magazines holders directly under on his waist it so they would not get in the way when he was running. The last thing he wanted was for something dangling to get caught when he was moving faster than most cars.

He looked over and saw the news talking about a cold front coming in to start the winter off. Reports of his escapade had dwindled as the world moved on. After all, he wasn't the center of the universe. Cooper's stomach growled and he remembered that he was running low on food back in his apartment. His daily trips had consisted purely of trips to the construction site to practice with the jump kit and the shooting range, he hadn't gone out for groceries in a while.

With a sigh, he grabbed a jacket off one of the pegs on the wall and his keys. Within a couple minutes he was on the road and off to the super market. As the A/C warmed up the car while he drove, he once again contemplated a question that had been bugging him. The fact that he had been close to the bank was an insane coincidence. That he had both his jump kit and weapons even more so. What bothered him was that this sort of coincidence was not likely to ever happen again. How was he supposed to help if there was nothing happening around him? Should he even be doing this? Real life wasn't like the old comics where the hero could magically show up on the scene. Not only did he not know where crimes were being committed but how would he get there in time to help if he did? He was just a normal guy with some special equipment.

Cooper parked his car in a space close to the front of the super market. As he got out and locked his car, he looked up and felt the cold bite at his nose and ears. The grey clouds above promised that the sun would not be making an appearance today.

It was still early in the morning and the super market wasn't very busy. He pulled a cart out from an electric stall by the entrance and went to work. The wheels on the cart wobbled slightly as he pushed it down an aisle and Cooper had to jerk it slightly as it veered off slightly to the left. Despite how far they had come in the past century, some things never change. He began piling in frozen foods and boxes of cereal as he went. As he went to get himself a gallon of milk, a child ran past him and almost pushed him into the cooler. The kid's mother gave Cooper an apologetic smile and he waved it off with one of his own. There were few other people around other than him. Past the mother and her kid, there were only a couple other people. At the other end of the market, a man stood perusing the collection of cheap wine that was being sold. Halfway between them a blonde woman compared the prices of two packages of meat.

He did a quick double take after looking at the woman. He felt like he knew her from somewhere but couldn't quite place it. He shrugged it off and went to check out.

Mercy's eyebrow twitch slightly and a small nervous sweat broke out on the back of her neck as she held the two packets of meat and pretended to be reading the text on the labels. Two weeks she had been watching this guy. It wasn't very hard, he hardly went anywhere save for a construction site and rifle range. What he did there was fascinating though. Whatever contraption he was using was definitely worth closer inspection. She had watched him seemingly defy gravity as he glided across walls and jumped through the air at extreme speeds. The closest thing she could compare it to were Fareeha's jump jets and even then it was a completely different animal. Pharah's jets only shot her straight up into the air and kept her suspended, this launched the user forward at speeds that would give Tracer a run for her money.

In terms of his personality, he was pretty normal. He didn't interact with other people very often and when he did it was always brief. She will admit that he seemed polite enough though. That was another thing she took note of, the entire time she had been watching him he had not shown any evidence of a social life. The doctor and pseudo-counselor in her was somewhat curious about this but supposed it didn't affect his chances of recruitment at all.

Winston met her reports positively, she could almost hear him drooling when she described the device he was using. Everything seemed to check out and he advised her to approach Cooper by the end of the week.

* * *

Despite his unanswered questions, Cooper continued to practice with his jump kit. If anything else it was fun to run from wall to wall in the construction site. It gave a sense of freedom not unlike his sports bike. The sheer speed and freedom it provided was intoxicating. He sat on his couch watching a rerun of "Hero of My Storm" with a towel draped over his shoulders after taking a shower. They played this one pretty often but he watched it anyways. The movie had been pretty popular earlier this year when people heard Hana Song had a role in it.

Cooper had spent most of the day at the construction site trying to complete his makeshift course in as fast a time as possible. He was still extremely thankful that construction had been suspended for the winter, it meant he didn't have to worry about anyone else showing up and was free to use it to his heart's content. A small annoyance presented itself when he began to tire himself out. The armor he had made was purposefully minimalist, having no protection for his elbows and forearms and only minimal protection for his legs, but was still made of steel. After a while it began to weigh him down and he had to take a break from his practice. He wished he could refashion the armor with a lighter material like carbon fiber but didn't have access to the same materials and tools as he did back in the lab. For all the genius that went into the jump kit, Cooper lacked higher end supplies now that he was working on it independently. If he happened to crash and land wrong, he may up breaking it and not have the parts he needed to make repairs. A sudden knock at the door brought him out of his musings.

"One sec" he called out as he ran to fish out a shirt from his room.

After pulling it on over his head, he opened the door to find a blonde haired woman clutching a binder to her chest with a smile on her face.

"Hello mister Cooper" Angela said, "I have an offer for you."

* * *

Winston grunted as he worked on the repairs for the mech's suspension. The hydraulic on the lower right leg had gave way and wouldn't allow for any motor function in that area.

"Thanks again for this Winston" Hana said cheerily.

"Not a problem. This is the kind of thing I'm good at after all" he said as he fiddled with a panel just above the exposed piston.

"How has your work been going?" she asked, "I know it can't be easy but we're all grateful. Really."

He got the panel removed and set it down next to him.

"It's nothing much really. We're all doing our part to fight the good fight."

"I suppose so" she replied.

Winston let out a chuckle and looked over his shoulder.

"Isn't Lena flying in today? I know how much you love playing games with her; why don't you let me finish this while you go pick her up."

A smile broke onto her face as she jumped to her feet.

"Sure thing. You're the best Winston!" she called as she left his lab.

Winston reached in and began to sort through the intricate wiring within the leg. It would be good to have them both around the base, he thought. Lena Oxton had a way of brightening up anyone's mood and things had begun to get slightly dull. In addition to that, it gave Winston the chance to do some regular maintenance on her chronal accelerator.

Hana wound through the maze of hallways in the base toward the garages. They always had several civilian cars ready for use. The hangars at this base were at maximum capacity so Lena would be taking a Jet from the other base to a nearby private airfield. It had been slow these past couple of months, Hana hadn't been called out once since coming to Virginia and was starting to go stir crazy. The boredom was getting to her. To top it all off, her mech gave out halfway through training yesterday. Things were sure to brighten up now that Lena was going to be here though. Hana considered the brit to be a close friend and had missed her since her relocation to the United States. When she heard the woman was coming over she started counting the days to her arrival. Most of the people working in Overwatch were far older than her and always so serious about their jobs. Lena was the closest to her age within the core group and always so carefree. Hanging out with her, she almost felt like a normal person. She could forget about her mech and the fighting when they were just having fun.

She walked into the giant, hangar-like garage and made her way straight to the requisition officer.

"Hey Dale" she said in a sing-song voice.

Dale the requisition officer eyeballed her with a slight frown on his face.

"What can I get you today miss Song" he asked.

"I need a car to get to the airport" the smile never leaving her face.

He let out a sigh.

"I don't want any more tickets from you, got that? We have enough expenses without you speeding. God forbid you crash into something and we have to pay for the repairs."

"No speeding, promise" she replied.

"Alright then" he grunted as he reached under his desk and pulled out a set of car keys.

"Thanks!" she called as she snatched the keys and made for the car pool.

Hana hit a button and the headlights on a silver sedan lit up with a light chirp.

A couple hours later and Winston was still hard at work. A complete replacement was needed for the piston on the right leg and would take a couple of days to get done. His desktop rang out as a call from Angela displayed on the center of the screen. Winston hobbled over and hit a button to accept the call.

"Angela. How goes your evaluation?" he asked.

"Everything seems fine on my end. With your permission, I will approach him with our offer" she answered.

Winston nodded his head at the screen.

"I'll make the proper arrangements over here. Good luck."

Mercy cut off the call and grabbed the binder from her passenger seat. She had never directly recruited anyone and was somewhat nervous at the prospect. She steeled her nerves and opened up her car door. The sun was getting low on the horizon and the temperature quickly dropping. She silently cursed herself for forgetting to bring a jacket along today. Each step up to the door of the apartment let out a metal clank from her heels. The door to the apartment was directly next to top of the stairs and she positioned herself in front of it before collecting her thoughts. When she was ready, she raised her hand and knocked on the door.

"One sec" she heard, muffled on the other side.

A minute later the door opened and she stood face to face with Jack Cooper.

She put on her best smile and looked him straight in the eye.

"Hello mister Cooper, I have an offer for you."

Cooper stared at her for a second before closing the door.

"Not interested in buying anything, sorry."

Angela caught the door before it could close completely and an annoyed look replaced her smile.

"I am not here to sell you anything" she said angrily.

"I don't need to learn about our lord and savior whose-his-face either" he grunted out as he pushed harder on the door.

This woman was inhumanely strong!

"I am not here for that either! This is about what you did at the bank!" she said, almost shouting.

Cooper faltered and Angela took the opportunity to open the door completely.

"How do you know about that?" he asked.

"There are cameras everywhere in this day and age. How hard do you really think it is to follow you from the bank to your home?"

He suddenly felt extremely stupid. Of course there were cameras in an area as populated as that. Why hadn't he considered that?

"Regardless, I come representing my organization. We think you have the potential to do great things for the world. If you will let me in I will explain our offer in greater detail."

He gave her one last skeptical look before stepping aside and allowing her in.

Angela stepped inside and followed him to the counter separating the living room from the kitchen. She set her binder down and Cooper moved to the opposite side of the counter.

"Who are you exactly?" he asked.

"My name is Angela Ziegler, I have come representing Overwatch" she replied.

Now he recognized her. It wasn't as obvious when she wasn't in uniform but it was definitely her. This was Mercy, one of the poster girls of Overwatch before it was decommissioned. For a moment he was shocked at being in the presence of a real hero but quickly came to his senses.

"Overwatch was shut down years ago" he said.

"Officially, yes. However, the situation has changed. I came here to offer you a place in our ranks. To fight by our side."

He looked at her long and hard. He had admired the heroes of Overwatch before they were shut down. They were people of extraordinary ability that fought for the good of humanity. Things change though. The government condemned them. What does that make them now?

"The governments of the world banned all Overwatch activity. You would be asking me to become a criminal" he said.

Angela bit her lip and looked away.

"I know what I am asking of you is dangerous," she turned and looked him straight in the eyes, remembering what Winston had said when he recalled them, "but we can make a difference. The world needs us now more than ever."

They were both silent as Cooper contemplated her words. For Angela it was excruciating.

"Exactly what would I be doing?" he asked after a moment.

The smallest of smiles formed on the edge of her lips and her eyes lit up with hope.

"We would use you and your skills to help maintain order throughout the world. Our mission has never changed even after disbanding."

This was his chance to be a hero. It would be dangerous, he could die, but so was the bank. To make a difference you had to take risks. That was what separated heroes from normal people; they would put everything on the line because that's what it took. That's what is required of them.

"Alright," he relented, "why don't you at least fill me in on exactly what that entails before I make a firm decision."

Angela's smile returned as she opened her binder.

* * *

A ringing once again came from Winston's desktop. He tapped the answer button and sat back in his chair.

"How did it go?"

"Mission success" Angela beamed.

He put his hands behind his head and leaned back. Things definitely weren't going to be boring for long.

"Good work Angela. Bring him in as soon as you can, there's work to be done"

"Right away" she said before ending the call.

While the barracks were reserved for normal soldiers working for a salary, agents of Overwatch with enhanced abilities were each given their own cabin and, in cases such as Winston and Angela, a personal lab or workspace. They could afford to give Cooper these while they were at less than maximum capacity. If he was smart enough to build whatever device he was using, he would undoubtedly be a useful person to have on their research and development team. The only challenge would be formal training but they had some of the best teachers on the planet for that.

The possible addition of a new member to the core group would do wonders for morale as well. Even someone like Angela questioned if bringing back Overwatch was the right thing to do quite often. It was understandable, the people they were trying to protect had cast them aside. That would make anyone question what they were fighting for. The only thing keeping it all together was their belief in the ideals Overwatch stands for. Winston could only hope that this was enough to keep all from falling apart.

* * *

The next day Cooper was packing his equipment and stuffing a suit case full of clothes. Angela had said that although agents lived on base, most kept their residences for when they had time off. He didn't have much to bring with him. His apartment was sparse to begin with and all the tools he had in his garage would be supplied to him when he arrived on base.

It would be a lie to say that he wasn't excited. Things were moving faster than he could have imagined. A short while ago the idea of him joining Overwatch would have seemed ludicrous. He had been given the chance to make a difference by world renown heroes. It was surreal.

He and Angela would make the seventeen hour drive to Virginia later today. A commercial flight was out of the question with the hardware Cooper was packing and Overwatch couldn't exactly send a craft to pick them up in a highly populated urban area.

Cooper leaned on the counter in his kitchen and pulled out his phone and stared at it for a moment. He hadn't told anyone about what he was about to do. After another moment he dialed a number and brought the device to his ear. It rang four times before anything happened.

"Hello? Jackie?" a voice came from the other end.

"Hey ma" he replied.

He hadn't talked to her for about a month. Cooper knew she loved to hear from him and regretted not calling sooner.

"How are you doing sweetie? How has the job hunt been going? You need to call more often."

Cooper couldn't help but smile. She would always talk faster than he could answer, it was nice to hear that again. He couldn't tell her about Overwatch but anything else was fair game. They talked for a while about the family and what was going on with everyone else.

"I actually just got a job offer that I'll be looking in to" he said.

"That's great! You were always such a smart boy, I knew you could do it."

Always so excited.

"Thanks ma. I'm going to be busy for a while but I'll definitely try to call you again some time soon" he replied

"Alright then, I won't hold you up any longer than I have to. Good luck at work."

"Bye mom."

He turned around and Angela was waiting for him by the door.

"We are ready to go Jackie" she said with a smirk.

His face reddened as he grabbed his suitcase and walked out the door with her. It would be a long drive. They were using a rental that had a lot in both Texas and Virginia so they wouldn't have to worry about what to do with the car once they got there. Angela slid into the driver seat while Cooper opened the passenger door after putting his luggage in the trunk.

"Where are we going exactly?" he asked once he was inside.

"To our location in Virginia" she replied, "Winston will have your quarters ready for you when we get there."

For most of the drive they talked about standard Overwatch operations. The quick response of the organization depended on agents living on base with only short leaves into the surrounding area. Each agent did get time off during the year but was expected to be ready for a call in the event of a catastrophe.

After nine hours, the sun was beginning to set and they decided to stop for the night. The car hovered to a stop in front of a fairly nice hotel and Angela handed the keys to a valet. The lobby of the hotel was simply furnished with a small lounging area and dining area past that to the left and reception desk to the right. A girl in a red vest and white dress shirt put on a smile from behind it when Cooper looked her way. He walked over to the desk and put his hands on the desk.

"Can I get a room with two beds for a night?" he asked.

The girl turned her attention to the holographic display of a computer as her fingers went to work on the projected buttons in front of it.

"What floor would you like that on sir?" she inquired.

"I don't really have too much of a preference. Anything not too expensive is fine."

she gave a quick nod and went back to her computer.

"We have an open room on the tenth floor if you would like that."

"That's perfect, thank you."

"My pleasure sir" the woman at the desk said as she handed Cooper a key card.

He pulled his suitcase to the elevator with Angela following close behind. her face grew serious as they began to ascend.

"You can still turn back if you want. This is not an easy path" she said.

Cooper nodded his head and grew into a serious expression.

"I'm ready for this" he replied.

Angela nodded and the door opened in front of them.

"I am happy to hear that."

The next day they ate breakfast in the lobby and got in their car to finish the drive to Virginia.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **To answer a question to one of my reviewers, I chose Angela to pick him up because she seemed the least conspicuous of the heroes. All the others look strikingly unique while she can pass off as just a normal woman when out of her suit (at least that's how I see it). All of your other questions will be answered as we progress. I have a road map written out, it's just a matter of filling it in.**

 **~Junior**


	4. Start of the Fall

**A/N: Dear reviewer, I'm not dead.**

* * *

The Overwatch base was well hidden but still relatively close to the capital city of Richmond. As Cooper and Angela drove up to it, he noted that it seemed small. Angela explained that most of the base was underground. It was built into a hill that had been hollowed out and tunneled under to form a network of tunnels and hangars that had access to the outside from a select few points. It was more of a bunker than anything else.

As they neared, a small set of hangar-like doors retracted to allow them entrance. They drove in to a cavernous room filled with multiple other vehicles ranging from civilian sedans to armored transports. A dozen sleek aircraft that looked like oversized fighter jets neatly lined one wall. He recognized them as the famous troop transports Overwatch used to get around the world so quickly. From what he could tell looking at the open hatch on the back of one, at least ten people could cram into the seats that lined the walls of the interior. They got out and walked to the barred window of a booth in the wall. A man sat at a desk in the booth working diligently on a computer and didn't notice them until Angela knocked on the glass.

"Dale," she said sweetly, "I left the rental over there. All the paperwork should be inside if you could get someone to return it."

The man grunted and returned to the glass surface of the computer, "I'll get somebody on it."

Satisfied, Angela continued to lead Cooper deeper into the base. Uniformed soldier and scientists in lab coat would occasionally pass as they made their way through the wide corridors. The base was a giant maze of hallways and doors. The magnitude of it overwhelmed him. The structure could easily house a thousand people. From what he had seen in the hangar, many of them could be mobilized as well.

"You will be given a personal workshop here" she said as she moved to a door on the right side.

She pressed her hand on a small glass panel next to the door and it slid open. Inside was a large room with a high ceiling. On the far end, the roof cut down sharply to a small corridor that appeared to be a miniature shooting range. Workbenches occupied most of the space along the walls. The right side was dominated by a desk with the silent reflection of a holo-computer shining flat on its top. On the left there was an area cleared for any larger projects he might work on. Everything seemed cutting edge and well stocked; a far cry from his garage.

"We have the latest equipment. You can requisition anything we do not have readily available, within reason of course." Angela closed the door and continued down the hall. "Naturally, you will be required to go through a strict training regimen. You are a special case due to your ability but everyone here goes through the same basic training. I will contact you with the details later."

They went further down the hall until they reached a door that was slightly larger than the others. Angela tapped the corner of the glass panel next to it and a small microphone appeared in the center.

"Winston, I have the new one you were so interested in with me."

After a moment, the door slid open and another famous member of Overwatch stood before them. Cooper was in awe at seeing him in the flesh. On the holovids was one thing but face to face felt surreal. The scientist adjusted his glasses and looked over the new member. A smile broke out on his face and he held out his huge hand.

"A pleasure to finally meet you. I'm happy you decided to join our organization."

"The pleasure is mine." Cooper replied with awe slipping into his voice.

Winston chuckled and let go of his hand. "I look forward to working with you in the coming days. I'm sure we can do great things together."

He nodded to Angela and retreated to his lab to allow them to finish their tour. As they walked through the rest of the base, they passed the mess hall and recreation areas. Soldiers milled around them in black uniforms with light blue accents. It felt alive and happy, everyone around him seemed relaxed. He could see himself enjoying life here. They eventually came to his personal quarters and Angela signaled it was the conclusion of their tour.

"I will send you a wake-up call with your first meeting tomorrow morning. For now, you have the rest of the day to yourself. I would advise you take this time to rest and prepare for tomorrow."

With that, the doctor left and Cooper entered his room. It was almost exactly like the dorm room he had in college. There was a bed in one corner with a desk and light in the other. A small closet on the right corner closest to the door hung open with three sets of clothes hanging from a bar inside, uniforms he had seen the other soldiers wearing.

It had been an exhausting day. An exhausting week. Without even bothering to take off his clothes, Cooper crawled into bed and fell asleep.

0

0

Early the next morning Cooper woke up to a ping from Angela on his desk. From there he was instructed to meet with his first trainer at the base's main training ground just outside the enclosed bunker of the base. From there he could see the open hangar bay with a score of sleek transports sitting idly in their ports, waiting for when they were needed to fly anywhere on the globe. The short woman in front of him eyed him with a cool gaze when he walked in. Her hair was cut to her shoulders and framed a face where ice blue iced peered out at him. If he were to drop dead right there, Cooper didn't think this woman would care in the slightest.

"I will be your training officer for all tactical and basic training" she said, "You will address me as 'ma'am' or Major. You will not complain. You will do exactly as you are told without question. Are we clear?"

Her voice held the same monotone and cold tone the entire time.

"Yes ma'am." Cooper replied.

He spent the next two hours running the standard obstacle course that you would see in any of the holovids. By the time she told him to stop, he was covered in mud and exhausted. Cooper grabbed his knees and tried to keep himself from falling as his head spun. The Major wordlessly cuffed him on the side of the head and sent him reeling.

"You will _never_ do that again" she glowered, "I expect you to stand up straight and at attention after every exercise. Do it again tomorrow when you join the rest of the soldiers in their training and there will be consequences. Run it again."

It took Cooper a moment to process her words. When he did, the temptation to walk away and quit spiked. He hated this. He felt like throwing up, collapsing, and sleeping for a week. His first day and he was ready to give up.

 _How pathetic_ he thought to himself. How could he stand side-by-side with the greatest heroes on earth like this?

The Major stood glaring at him silently and he nearly cringed. Grudgingly, he turned back to course and began a tired jog to the first obstacle. She was gone when he finally returned.

Cooper struggled to not collapse as he made his way back to his quarters. He kept a hand firmly on the wall until he got to his room and pushed his hand to the panel next to the door. A small door in the back corner led to a shower only slightly larger than he was. Cooper peeled off his grimy clothes, turned on the water, and sat on the floor with his arms around his knees as water poured onto his head. He stared at the drain, resisting the urge to break down. He had to do all of that again tomorrow. An hour later, Cooper shut off the water. The young scientist put on one of the two clean uniforms in his closet before leaving for the mess hall.

The dining area hall was almost as big as the hangar he had first seen. Other than the much smaller rec rooms scattered throughout the network of hallways, it was the only place on the entire base to get a real meal. Circular tables were scattered throughout the majority of the room while a small section was cleared along one wall where the food was doled out. The noise of hundreds of conversations echoed off the walls. Cooper got in the quickly moving line as meals were handed out at an impressive pace. He was soon at the front and had a tray shoved into his hands before being hurried along. Another minute of searching and the new soldier found a table pushed close to one wall that was empty. He ate silently as he looked out at the mass of people in front of him. They were going through the same thing he had on a daily basis. He barely survived the first day. Cooper could hardly imagine it. He wasn't made to be a soldier like the heroes that Overwatch was built around. He was a scientist playing at being a soldier. It didn't matter how much good you wanted to do or how much you wanted to help if you lacked the power.

"Well you look like you just got wrung out and left to dry" said a deep voice to his side.

Cooper was startled out of his reverie and turned to the person that had spoken. He almost choked when he saw the tower of a man standing next to him. The dark brown man looked almost seven feet tall with corded muscle showing on every part of his body. He rubbed his bald head as he set his tray down across from Cooper and took a seat.

"I don't think we've met before." He said.

Cooper cleared his throat . "This would be my first day actually."

"That explains things. I take it you met the Major then? She greets most new recruits." he said with a chuckle. "I don't think anyone else here is capable of making a man feel as shitty as you feel."

Cooper couldn't help but laugh with him. After a moment the man reached over the table and held out his hand for the scientist to shake.

"My name is Raymond by the way. Most people that know me just call me Ray though."

"Cooper" he replied as he shook Ray's hand, "Jack Cooper."

"Don't take what the Major says too seriously Cooper. She comes off as cold but she's training you to stay alive out in the field. Despite how it may seem, you can bet she'd move heaven and earth out in the field if it meant saving someone. I would know, she's my squad leader."

Cooper couldn't help but shudder at the thought of being under her command.

"She certainly came off as…abrasive?" he remarked, searching for the right word.

Ray let out another laugh and waved the other man off.

"We're friends here, no need to beat around the bush. She can be a downright bitch. For what it's worth, it gets easier to deal with as time goes on."

The helpless mood Cooper was possessed by earlier seemed to all but disappear as they talked. Ray kept things light as they went on, telling him more about life on the base and people he should probably know.

"How long have you been with Overwatch?" Cooper asked before taking a bite from the cut of meat that he still couldn't quite identify.

"I signed up a few years before they were shut down." He answered, "When the recall was sent out, I couldn't say no."

Ray picked up his cup and stared at it as he swirled the water in it around.

"I have a wife and a little girl you know. Every time I see them, I know I'm doing the right thing. I know exactly what I'm protecting. To have my daughter look up to me and call me a hero, that makes it all worth it."

He drank the last of the water and picked up his tray.

"Still plenty to do today. I hope we can talk some more later." he said.

"Definitely" Cooper replied with a nod.

Cooper finished eating soon after and returned his tray. He walked through the halls with his head held a bit higher after that. On the way back to his room, the device they had assigned to him vibrated into his pocket and a message from Winston asking Cooper to meet him in the his lab that the young soldier and Angela had visited yesterday.

He made his way there and pressed on the panel next to the door. Moments later it slid open. Inside, Winston was staring at the monitor in front of him. He tapped a button on the glass surface of the desk and turned to Jack with a smile.

"That uniform suits you."

"It's a lot more comfortable than I thought." he replied.

The lab was structured much like his own. Workbenches lined the walls and the desk Winston was sitting at dominated the side of the room closest to the door. On the other side, there was a large open space that currently housed a bright pink mech.

"Is that-"

"Hana Song's Meka" Winston finished for him, "Just needed a few small repairs."

"May I?" He asked, stepping toward the mech.

"By all means."

It was truly a marvel. Small and made for extreme maneuverability, the most outstanding features were the thrusters jutting out the back. Cooper could only imagine what it was like to be strapped into this machine during a firefight. His jump jet kit didn't even compare. Not only that, but its owner was famous. Hana Song was famous in very sense of the word. Not only was she a revered fighter, she was also a sensational actress known worldwide.

"We will be working together very often from this point forward, Cooper" Winston said as he got up from his desk, "You have a very bright mind. I'm excited to get to know you."

"The feeling is mutual."

"Wonderful! I would love to learn more about the science behind your invention. I can only wonder at how the application of that technology will change my current projects."

For the next few hours, Cooper and Winston discussed the careful science behind the thrusters in his jump kit as well as clever manipulation of the micro-fusion generators inside.

"Just being able to look at this thing is already giving me so many new ideas." Cooper said as he examined the expert repairs Winston had done on Hana's mech.

"You seem quite taken with it" Winston mused with a grin on his face.

"And you aren't? It's a marvel."

"I have detailed schematics on it you could take a look at if you are this interested. I'm sure Hana wouldn't care less if you had them."

Coopers face lit up. "I would love that. Thank you."

Soon after, Cooper was back in his own room. The thought of training under the Major again still filled him with trepidation but no longer came with a sense of hopelessness.

0

0

The next day there were hundreds of soldiers out on the field. Despite this, Cooper could easily make out Raymond in the crowd and hurried to join him. The bigger man was standing next to two other people he had never seen before.

Ray noticed him approaching and waved a hand in greeting.

"Cooper! Let me introduce you to two of my squad mates."

Behind him stood a man and a woman. The woman was only slightly taller than the Major with bright green eyes and a smile plastered on her face. Her golden hair was cut short, forming a disheveled mess that stuck up in all directions. The man next to her looked as plain as they come. Close cropped hair and a lithe build marked the standard hallmarks of a soldier. The only thing unique about him were the bags under his eyes and his tired posture.

"The lovely lady here is Silva and the guy that looks like he's ready to pass out is Biscuit." Ray explained, "Don't worry too much about him. He always looks like this."

"Nice to meet you" Silva said kindly while Biscuit gave a nod.

"Did they give you your squad assignment yet?" Ray asked.

"I haven't heard anything." he replied.

Cooper hadn't thought about it at all. Angela hadn't mention him being put in a specific squad. Before he could ask any questions about the process, a whistle blew and the Major climbed on to a large rock near the center of the field. It was time to start their exercises.

The gauntlet was just as exhausting for Cooper as it had been yesterday but less intimidating. Running it as a group was far better than suffering it alone. The Major stood on a boulder watching everyone run with her freezing gaze. Anyone that stopped was given a quick verbal lashing and forced to keep pushing themselves. It was still hell, but a more tolerable one. Ray and Silva ran the obstacles as though it were a leisurely stroll while Cooper and Biscuit struggled to keep up. Biscuit looked about ready to collapse as he plodded along with drooping shoulders. On more than one occasion he actually did. Despite being a under fire from the Major, her words seemed to have little effect. How the soldier could be so apathetic against her harsh tirade was a mystery to Cooper.

The sun was already high in the sky when their dismissal to independent squad exercises was called. Cooper waved goodbye to his friends and went off to his personal workshop to examine the schematics Winston had loaned him in greater detail. The technology behind the mech was fascinating. To create a vehicle hard enough to protect the user but light enough to fly was no simple task. That wasn't even mentioning the field it could project that completely absorbed the kinetic energy of any small object that flew its way. The possibilities were endless. The young scientist poured over the mechanics of the machine and had soon filled the digital whiteboards that covered the wall over the workbench with notes and ideas. He wanted to start right away. He hauled his armor and jump kit from his room to the workshop and began putting his theories to the test. Cooper plotted out a new framework for lighter armor using the superior resources Overwatch had left at his disposal. After that, he replaced and improved upon the patchwork modifications he had done to the jump kit. The young man lost track of time until his stomach groaned loudly and demanded he eat something. He walked to the mess hall filled with excitement and satisfaction from the day's progress. The next two days were much like that one. However, the third was one that would set him down the path of ruin. The beginning of the end.

They were breaking from their regular training to do squad specific exercises. The Major had sent him a message earlier that morning to meet her for his assignment. She found her at her usual spot on the training field looking at a tablet with a frown on her face.

"Cooper," she called, "I have your assignment. You will be with my team."

Cooper felt a mix of joy and dread. While it meant he would be working with Ray and the others, he was now under the Major's direct command. Training was bad enough, he shuddered at the thought of spending every day with her.

"You know what I expect. Disappoint me and I will have you removed from this organization. Are we clear?"

"Yes ma'am." He replied stiffly.

"Good. Follow me to the squad training grounds. We will introduce you to the squad and get you acquainted with how we operate."

The introductions were easy, considering he had already met all of them. He was met warmly by his friends Cooper was given a new rifle and told to watch his new squad run a small course by the Major. They moved through a small maze of walls made to imitate an urban setting. The group went through it with stunning efficiency. They moved as a single mass, keeping a careful vigil in every direction as they move. They hardly needed to talk as a slight movement of the hands or a pat on the soldier communicated everything they needed to know. The metal targets posted within the maze were tagged the moment they came into view. Cooper had never seen people work in such a synchronized way.

The rest of the training period was spent teaching him how to meld with the squad. They taught Cooper how they cleared a building systematically, how they formed up in an open field and in cramped interiors, they even taught him how far apart the members should stand from each other in different environments. It was an overload of information that was not made lighter by the Major's swift reprimands when he made mistakes. The young soldier took much away from it though. Ray had even told him that he was picking it up much faster than most. They did this for hours before the end of the session was finally called.

A week of this quickly turned into a month. The days passed in a blur, broken only by his research after training. Cooper found himself running to Winston's office with a bundle of rolled papers in his arms one day after a squad exercise. The excited smile on his face never faltered as he ducked around the other soldiers in the hall. By the time he reached Winston's office, he was out of breath.

"Winston, I have something I need to show you." He panted out after pressing on the panel next to the door.

The door slid open and Winston stood there with a confused look on his face. Cooper pushed passed him and unloaded the papers on a nearby desk.

"There are a couple of things I've been working on ever since you gave me the schematics for the meka, but there was one thing keeping me from actually bringing them to fruition." The young scientist explained.

He unrolled the papers and flattened them across the desk. Winston adjusted his glasses with widening eyes. Cooper finished laying out the schematics and turned to look at the hero..

"I need you to help me build an AI."

* * *

 **A/N: Writing this chapter felt like pulling nails. I have a road map for exactly what I want to happen but I need to build a foundation for it to have any impact. That is what this chapter was and party why it took so long to make (the other being that fanfiction is a relatively small part of my life right now and not a priority). It isn't as pretty, polished, detailed, or entertaining as I want it to be but if I stayed on this any longer I might never have finished it. Chapters will most likely come out quicker now that I managed to plow through this. Sorry for the wait but i couldn't be helped.**

 **~Junior**


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